The following background information has been
taken from The New Utah's Heritage by George Ellsworth and
Wildlife of Utah by Bevan Killpack.

A biome is a category of characteristic plant
life, such as tropical rain forest, deciduous forest, grassland, and
the animal life associated with these plants. Any such biome might
exist on any continent.

Utah is a
land rich in natural beauty. Vacationers, photographers, and native
residents all enjoy the variety of its land. Utah is filled with
contrasts. It has high forested mountains and fertile valleys edged
by deserts. Its plateaus are cut by muddy rivers. There are vast
wilderness regions and thriving cities.

Utah is a
desert land, with extremes of hot and cold. Utahns have made the
desert bloom. In this unit we will learn about the biomes that are
unique to Utah.

Desert
Biome

The hot
desert biome is found only in Utah's extreme southwestern corner.
Geographers define deserts as places where evaporation exceeds
precipitation. The "hot desert" probably approaches what most people
think of when they picture a desert. It is usually very dry and quite
hot. Precipitation in the hot desert averages 5 to 10 inches per
year. Temperatures soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer
and drop below freezing in the winter.

Utah's cold
deserts generally range from 4,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation and can
be characterized as broad valley and broke, rolling hills. Annual
rainfall is usually less than 11 inches. Utah's cold deserts provide
a favorable temperate climate for both wildlife and humans. Most of
Utah's human population lives in cold desert areas. These areas
provide a large portion of the range for Utah's livestock industry.

Alpine
Biome

As we move
up in elevation, beyond where trees can exist, we find one of the
most severe habitats in Utah - quite similar to arctic habitats of
the far north. Alpine areas do not make up a large portion of Utah's
biomes. Plants and animals that live in alpine biomes are well
adapted to harsh conditions. Birds and small mammals make up the
majority of alpine wildlife. Few reptiles and amphibians are found in
Utah's alpine biome since temperatures tend to be too extreme for
these cold blooded animals.

Forest
Biome

This biome
is one of the most beautiful in Utah as it is ever changing with the
seasons. Temperatures cover the extremes from both hot to subzero
cold. The forest biome accounts for over 25% of Utah, and is
extremely important to the diverse wildlife it supports. The forest
biome consists of several distinct vegetative zones. These zones
result from differences in elevation and precipitation.

Aquatic
Biome

Utah
scientists believe that another relative biome for the state of Utah
is aquatic. Utah has an extreme variety of aquatic types ranging from
the ponds in Weber County to the Great Salt Lake. Utah also has many
rivers and streams found throughout all of Utah's biomes.

Mormon
Pioneers Influence on Utah's Geography

In 1847 a
group of people called Mormons moved to Utah to settle. They were the
first people, except for Native Americans, who wanted Utah as their
home. Mormons chose to move to Utah for two reasons. First, it was
isolated. They hoped they would be left alone and would not have
trouble with their neighbors. Second, they chose Utah because the
land was a hard natural environment.

There is a
myth about the Salt Lake Valley. It says that the valley was a barren
and lifeless desert with only one tree when the first Mormon pioneers
arrived. Here is what the valley was really like when the Mormon
pioneers first came. Much of it had rich, good soil. Wherever
sagebrush grew, the soil was good, and sagebrush grew all over the
valley. There were also tall grasses. Trees and bushes grew along all
the streams and flowed from the mountains to the Jordan River and
into the Great Salt Lake. On the mountains were forests of pine
trees.

When Utah's
first pioneer settlers came to Utah, by necessity, many environmental
changes took place. Land had to be cleared of trees, grass and rocks
for farming. Irrigation canals had to be dug. Rivers and streams were
dammed and flooded. They planted trees and orchards. Timber was cut
to build homes. Game was hunted for meat. They built roads, farms,
mills, and trading posts. Mines were dug. The changes to the
landscape were endless and necessary to the survival of the people
who had nothing but what the environment provided for their survival.
The pioneers turned much land that had been considered wasteland into
productive farmland.

Contains maps of Utah's forests, parks, and
monuments. Also has information about the regions and geography of
Utah. Also has information about Mormon Pioneers and their influence
on Utah's environment.

If a tree falls in the forest someone or something
will always be there to hear it. Many creatures will feel the effects
when their source of sustenance and shelter falls to the earth. So
when a man is sent into the Amazon rain forest one day, under
instructions to chop down a great kapok tree, many eyes watch him
nervously. It's not long before he grows tired and the "heat and him"
of the rain forest lulls him to sleep. One by one, snakes, bees,
monkeys, birds, frogs, and even a jaguar emerge from the jungle to
plead with the sleeping man to spare their home.

Elementary concepts about maps are presented in a
clear, simple concept book. Cheerful pictures depict the territories
of various animals, followed each time by a basic map of the animal's
neighborhood. The book ends with one large map linking all the
animal's territories together.

When the Great Spirit creates the desert and the
creatures who will live there, he designates the jackrabbit to guide
the animals to their new homes and explain their special adaptations,
which make them well suited to their environment. The flighty rabbit
forgets to listen carefully to what the Great Spirit tells him about
each animal. When the Tortoise asks when he is so slow, Jackrabbit
hems and haws and finally makes up a disconcerting answer, "Because
you're not as smart as I am." Finally the Great Spirit realizes
what's happening and gives Jackrabbit a new adaptation of his own:
big ears to help him listen better to what he's told.

Brian finds a salamander and takes him home. He
wants to keep the orange salamander in his room and imagines how he
can keep the animal happy by planting trees, encouraging insects and
bird to enter, and finally removing his bedroom roof to let in the
rain. Brain's cozy bedroom is gradually transformed into a dark green
forest as his fantasy becomes more elaborate.

The parched, mysterious deserts of the world are
the subjects for this alphabet array of plants, animals, and
phenomena. Meet the colorful Crimson Chat, the deadly Inland Taipan,
and the cartwheeling Golden Wheel Spider. Look beneath and beyond the
sand for familiar, unfamiliar, and comical desert
dwellers.

6. Rylant, Cynthia.
When I Was Young In The
Mountains. Illustrated by Diane Goode. NY:
E.P. Dutton, Inc., 1982.

A young girl reminisces of the pleasures of life
in country living. She recalls splashing in the swimming hole, taking
baths in the kitchen, sharing family times, and pumping pails of
water from the well. Beautiful illustrations allow children to fully
experience what it would be like to live in the mountains.

Four children and a dog climbing a forest trail
provide the framework for the discussion of mountains. The characters
explain the earth's structure and tectonic plates as well as the
different types of mountains and how they are formed. The
illustrations do an excellent job of showing the structures, forces,
and processes that mold mountains.

2. Students will know the biomes specific to Utah
and some characteristics of each of them.

3. Students will recognize that Utah's biomes have
changed over time with the influence of the Mormon pioneers and other
various human populations.

Unit
Activities

1.
Geographical Time Line

The
students will create a time line and record the major changes in
Utah's geography. They will record the year of the geographical
change and write a short description of what happened.

Materials:
Paper & pencils.

Time: This
activity would be completed throughout the unit.

2. Map Of
Utah Biomes

The
students will draw an outline of Utah and then add the lines
outlining the areas of the different biomes. They will color each
biome a different color and then make a key that tells what color
each biome is.

Students
will draw an outline of Utah then outline the boundaries of the
different biomes. Then they can make a puzzle out of their picture
and they can have other students try to put it together.

Materials:
Paper, pencils, and scissors.

Time: 15 to
20 minutes.

4.
Differences & Similarities

As a class
we will make a chart that lists differences and similarities of
Utah's biomes. We would make the chart on butcher paper and hang it
in the classroom throughout the unit.

Materials:
Butcher paper and markers.

Time: 30
minutes.

5. Utah
Geography Collage

The
students will make a collage that represents characteristics of
Utah's geographical features. They will put their pictures on a paper
with an outline of Utah and correspond their pictures with the
geographical location.

Materials:
Magazines with pictures that the students can cut out, glue, and
paper with outline of Utah on it.

Time: 45
minutes

6.
Comparing Plant Roots

The
students will compare the root system of plants from Utah's different
biomes. The students will pick a plant and draw it with its root
system. Then they will decide what biome that plant would grow the
best in and label it on their drawing.

Materials:
Plants from all of Utah's biomes, paper, and colored
pencils.

Time: 45
minutes.

7. Picture
Dictionary

The
students will make a page for a picture dictionary of Utah's biomes.
Possible pages could include geographical terms, plant names, animal
names, and climate terms. The dictionary can be used throughout the
unit and become part of the classroom library.

Students
will research examples of plant and animal interactions within a
biome and create a magazine article telling about it. Then the
students would collect all the magazine articles together and make a
magazine for the classroom library.

Materials:
Paper, books for students to look for information, colored pencils,
book binding materials.

Time: 1
hour

9. Biome
Mobile

The
students will be divided into groups. Each group will be assigned a
Utah biome. The students will create a mobile for their biome and
hang it in the classroom. They might include animals, plants, and
pictures of the biome on their mobile.

Materials:
String, paper, and colored pencils.

Time: 45
minutes to 1 hour.

10. Guest
Speakers

Invite
guest speakers to come talk with the class about a unique biome they
have lived in or visited. They might bring in pictures of the area
and tell about the climate, geography, animals, and plants.

Materials:
Speakers and visual aids to show the students.

Time: 1
hour

11. Biome
Debate

The
students will pick the biome they think would be the best biome to
live in. Then I will group the students according to their favorite
biomes. Each group will debate with the other groups about why their
biome would be the best to live in.

Materials:
Paper, and pencils.

Time: 1
hour

12.
Simulation

Have a
simulation of what it would be like to live in the alpine biome. For
example, have the students try walking in snowshoes, get water from a
stream or river, hunt for their own food, and learn how to start a
fire.

Materials:
Snowshoes, wood, river to get water from, and an open field to
pretend to hunt in.

Time: 2 to
3 hours.

13.
Resource Collage

The
students will learn how humans use resources from the different
biomes. Then the class will make a large collage of the resources
that are used by humans in Utah. If possible, the collage could
include the resources themselves instead of a picture of it. The
collage could be hung out in the hall for other classes to look
at.

Materials:
Pictures they can cut out, resources the students can bring from
home, large sheet of paper bound to something sturdy, and
glue.

Time: 1
hour

14. How The
Pioneers Impacted Utah's Environment.

Have the
student choose a historical site in Utah (city like Salt Lake,
tourist area like Promontory Point, mining area like silver mines of
Park City.) Have the student brainstorm what the locations of the
site looked like before the pioneers came, how the site was changed,
and why it was changed. Divide a piece of art paper into two equal
sections. Label the left side 'before' and the right side 'after'.
Draw pictures illustrating what the site looked like before it was
altered by the pioneers and how it looked after they had altered the
site. Have the students write two paragraphs, one explaining how the
site's landscape had been altered, and the other telling the reasons
why the pioneers changed it.

Materials:
Drawing paper, writing paper, art materials.

Time: 30 to
45 minutes.

15. Native
Americans in Utah History

Students
will research the basic cultural information available on the various
Native American Cultures of Utah. Possible tribes to research are the
Paleo, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Shoshone, Ute, Paiute, and Goshute.
Students will want to get information about historical time,
shelters, weapons, tools, foods and methods of obtaining foods. They
will have a question list they will fill out while they do their
research.

Materials:
Reference books, question list, and pencils.

Time: 45
minutes to 1 hour.

16. Biome
Comic Strip

The
students will make a comic strip about how a particular group of
people had an impact on Utah's geography. They can make their comic
strip about any particular biome or any group of people that helped
changed our environment. We could hang up our comic strips in the
classroom for students to look at.

Materials:
Paper, pencils, and colored pencils.

Time: 30 to
45 minutes.

17.
Postcard Sending

Collect
post cards that show pictures of the different biomes. Give each
student a postcard and have them write about their postcard on the
back of it. They might want to write about what kind of biome their
postcard picture is from. Then have them mail the postcard to someone
they know.

Materials:
Postcard for each student, stamp for each student, and
pencils.

Time: 20
minutes.

18. Pen
Pals

Have
students assigned a pen pal at Mexican Hat Elementary (or some other
elementary in Utah where the students live in a different
geographical area.) Have your students write to the children at
Mexican Hat and have them tell about the biome they live in. Then the
students at Mexican Hat can write them back and tell about where they
live. You could make it an option to have them send pictures of where
they live and sites that they like to go see.

Materials:
Students at another elementary school who live in a different biome,
envelopes, stamps, paper, pencils, and addresses.

Time: 20
minutes. Students write back and forth for a few months.

19. Weather
Newscast

The
students will create the script for a possible weather forecast for
one of Utah's biomes. They will need to do some researching to find
out what the weather is typically like in their biome. I will tape
record each child doing their forecast and then show the class all
the newscasts.

Materials:
Books for students to find information about the weather, and video
camera.

Time: 1 to
2 hours.

20.
Graphing Average Temperatures

Have the
students make a bar graph of the average temperatures for each of the
Utah biomes. Have a discussion about why some areas have lower
temperatures than others and why some areas always have higher
temperatures. You could also graph the average snowfall and rainfall
for each Utah biome.

The
students will each make a flag that would be used to represent one of
Utah's biomes. The flags might have geographical features or plant
and animal life that corresponds to their biome. We would hang our
flags in the classroom throughout the unit.

Materials:
Paper, markers, colored pencils, and crayons.

Time: 30
minutes.

22. Biome
Song

Have the
class make up a song about Utah's biomes. The tune of the song could
be from a song the students already know. Write the words to the song
on chart paper and sing it every day.

Materials:
Music, chart paper.

Time: 10 to
15 minutes each day throughout the unit.

23.
Children's Book Sharing

Divide
students into groups and assign them one of Utah's biomes. Have them
look in the school library for a children's book that has something
to do with their biome. Then have the groups read their books to a
first grade class.

Materials:
Children's books.

Time: 45
minutes to 1 hour

24. Biome
Riddle

Have the
students each make up a riddle about a Utah biome. Have them write
their riddle down on paper then put them up on a bulletin board. When
students have free time they can try to guess the different
riddles.

Materials:
Paper and pencils.

Time: 15 to
20 minutes.

25. Travel
Advertisement

The
students will create a travel advertisement for their favorite biome.
The students might want to include national parks and favorite
geographical features in their advertisement. They will draw pictures
and include information about traveling in their biome.

Materials:
Paper, colored pencils, and crayons.

Time: 30 to
45 minutes.

26. Costume
Show

The
students will be assigned a biome and they will bring clothes from
home that would be appropriate to wear in their biome. The students
will have a fashion show and explain why they chose their particular
clothing. They will write a short paragraph about their outfit that I
will read while they model their clothes.

Materials:
Students will need clothes from home, paper, and pencil.

Time: 1 to
2 hours.

27. Short
Story

The
students will pick an animal that lives in one of Utah's biomes and
write a short story about their animal. They can also draw a picture
of their animal. Have the students describe the adaptations that the
animal does to live in their particular biome.

Materials:
Paper, pencils, colored pencils, books for students to look up
animals in.

Time: 30
minutes.

28.
Utah's National Parks

Have the
students locate the national parks on a map that are in Utah. Then
have a class discussion about what biome each park is located in.
Have the students add the national parks to the map they had already
created of Utah's biomes. Have students bring in pictures or
postcards of national parks they have been to in Utah.

Materials:
Map of Utah with national parks located on it, paper, and colored
pencils.

Time: 30
minutes.

29.
Traveling Travel Log

As students
take trips during the school year, have a traveling travel log that
the students take with them. They can write about their trip and tell
about the environment they saw and geographical sites that might be
different than what they live in. Have the traveling travel log be
part of the class library and let the students share their writing
and illustrations with the class when they return from their
trip.

Materials:
Notebook that is made into the traveling travel log.

Time: 15
minutes to share what students have written and drawn.

30. Field
Trip

The
students could take a field trip to different geographical type
areas. Possible field trips could be to Tony Grove, Arches National
Park, Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island, and the Uinta
Mountains.

Materials:
Map for traveling, parents to go on trip, and permission
slips.

Time: One
school day.

Culminating
Activities

1. Working
in groups of two, the students will be researching a biome
locatedsomewhere
in Utah. They will need to find out information on the geography and
climate of the area, some of the animals and plants that inhabit the
area, and people that have had an influence on the area. Once they
have found their materials, they will make a book about their biome.
Have a night when parents come to the classroom and have the
opportunity to read the different books. Have the parents ask the
authors (the students) questions about their book and their biome
they studied.

2. Have the
students each create a diorama of a Utah biome. Let the students
explore with different art medium to create their diorama. The
students will want to include animals and plants in their biome as
well as the major geographical features. The students will work on
their project during class time and have the opportunity to work on
their project at home. Invite other classes in the school to look at
the children's dioramas when they are completed. Also, have a nigh
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